Originally Posted by
ioto1902
This seems to go against profitability logic.
Nevertheless, they might want to avoid people checking loads, and choosing a later cheaper flight in hope of getting on an earlier more expensive flight.
I don't know if that's it.
Anyway, I just got off an overbooked short haul, where some have been downgraded. They would be pleased to discover that some were denied to take an earlier flight ...
I disagree - this is completely logical from a revenue management position. In fact, your 2nd paragraph explains why: protection of product.
Different ticket types exist which try and differentiate products whilst selling the same aircraft seat - there is an actual monetary value to things such as flexibility and refundability. To give something away for free which clearly can be sold for (quite substantial in some cases) revenue, is poor revenue management.
To allow same day changes for free - which clearly has some demand, given the OPs question - undermines the value of the flex and flex plus products. You may sacrifice immediate incidental and incremental revenue, but the bigger picture is loss of incremental revenue from pax who would usually purchase higher fare classes when restricted ones are available who now switch to the restricted fare and gamble.
NZ for instance, has a not quite fully flex product which allows same day of travel changes for domestic sectors. EK, given the nature of its operations, prefers to keep a more centralised and strict control over its inventory - it probably keeps their forecasting system more accurate.
This is exactly why exact flight loads are now no longer available to crew until around 72 hours to departure - Gold/Plat pax who had crew friends would ask their friends to check flights far in advance and buy restricted savers confident in getting op-ups. There is no coincidence that some of the most restricted EK fares have 3 day advance purchase requirements
If you want the ability to take any flights on day of purchase, there is a product available for that - anything else is a favor from the airline to you, because the airline doesn't think in terms of individual pax and one flight, but revenue on a route over a particular timescale and the profitability of each customer segment as a whole: e.g. every J/F pax who doesn't visit the lounge is probably resulting in more bottom-line flow through than someone who is willing to pay a little but not a lot to change flights on the day
